African People’s Socialist Party (APSP)
The African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) is a revolutionary socialist and pan-Africanist organization founded in 1972 in St. Petersburg, Florida, by Omali Yeshitela (born Joseph Waller). The party is committed to the liberation and unification of African people worldwide, aiming to combat colonialism, capitalism, and imperialism, which it believes are the root causes of the oppression of African people globally.
The APSP seeks to unite African people not just on the continent of Africa but also in the African diaspora. They advocate for self-determination and the creation of a socialist government that represents the interests of African people worldwide. The party focuses on the liberation of African nations and people from the influence of colonial and imperial powers. They link global capitalism with the exploitation of Africa and its resources. The APSP calls for the establishment of a socialist system, which they believe will provide economic equality and justice for African people. They advocate for a state where the wealth and resources of Africa are controlled by the people, rather than foreign or private interests.
The APSP is a central component of the broader Uhuru Movement, which encompasses several organizations and institutions. The term "Uhuru" means "freedom" in Swahili, and the movement's mission is to address issues such as police brutality, poverty, and political disenfranchisement of African communities. The party has long promoted alliances with other oppressed peoples and movements around the world. They see the struggle for African liberation as part of a global fight against imperialism and capitalism.
The APSP was formed during the height of the Black Power Movement and in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement in the US. Dissatisfied with the pace of progress and the limited focus on economic justice in civil rights efforts, the APSP sought to build a more radical, revolutionary solution to the plight of African people.
Omali Yeshitela, the founding leader, remains a central figure in the organization and its ideology. He is a former civil rights activist who shifted towards a more militant, anti-capitalist stance in the late 1960s. The APSP operates several branches in different cities and countries, particularly focusing on areas with significant African diasporic populations.
The APSP runs programs to raise political awareness among African people, educating them about their history, the nature of imperialism, and strategies for achieving self-determination. The party is involved in projects aimed at building economic independence for African people, such as community businesses and cooperatives, all under the broader umbrella of the Uhuru Movement. The APSP has been active in movements against police violence, mass incarceration, and other issues impacting African-American communities in the U.S. They advocate for community control of the police and other institutions.
The African People's Socialist Party (APSP) is actively involved in attempting to recruit black prisoners to its cause. Based in Oakland, California, the APSP is a far-left, pro-Soviet black nationalist organization. Its leader is Joseph Waller, a.k.a. Omali Yeshitela. In June, 1984 the APSP newspaper, Burning Spear, published "The Working Platform of the African People's Socialist Party." Section 6 of the platform states: "We want the immediate and unconditional release of all black people who are presently locked down in U.S. prisons. We believe that all the African men and women who are locked down in the U.S. concentration camps commonly known as prisons are there due to decisions, laws, and circumstances which were created by aliens and foreigners for their own benefit and as a means of genocidal colonialist control."
Section 7 of the APSP platform states: "WE WANT COMPLETE AMNESTY FOR ALL AFRICAN POLITICAL PRISONERS AND PRISONERS OF WAR FROM U.S. PRISONS OR THEIR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO ANY FRIENDLY COUNTRY WHICH WILL ACCEPT THEM AND GIVE THEM POLITICAL ASYLUM. We believe that U.S. prisons are also used as the illegitimate tool for torturing, murdering and holding captive those courageous daughters and sons of Africa who through their patriotic deeds or spoken or written words in support of the cause of our liberation have become political prisoners and prisoners of war."
The July, 1985 issue of Burning Spear contains a statement of support for the APSP from Achebe H. Lateef on behalf of the Indiana Black Prisoner's Organization-News Service. Lateef writes: "We are a product of politicization primarily from the prison movement, the 'revolutionary prison movement' having reached the level of political maturity from the ever burning flames of THE SPEAR. Since prison offers us one front of struggle, the streets another more demanding one; our persons as 'soldiers of the people' have yet to be consolidated on the outside front. But lessons learned from the 'prison movement' allow us to attempt to exert our revolutionary understanding beyond prison walls:'
Burning Spear's lead article of January, 1986 announces the grand opening of the "Joseph Waller Uhuru House" in St. Petersburg, Florida, which will serve as the office for the St. Petersburg chapter of the APSP. The same issue pictures four men with rifles kidnapping the judge and district attorney in the Marin County, California courthouse in August 1970. The caption states: "Although this heroic attempt did not secure the release of captured comrades, it did pave the way for the liberation of Assata Shakur".
The APSP has often been criticized by mainstream media and government officials for its radical views. In 2023, the FBI raided the APSP offices as part of an investigation into alleged connections to Russian interference in U.S. politics, though the party and its supporters viewed the raid as politically motivated repression. The APSP remains a key player in revolutionary socialist and African liberation movements, standing at the intersection of anti-racism, anti-imperialism, and socialist activism.
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